Platform engineering is relevant in such case of increasing complexity of software systems and the need for organizations to scale their DevOps approaches to Platform Engineering for efficiency and scalability.

Companies will be taking up platform engineering to enforce workflow in 2026.

Platform Engineering Overview
Platform engineering entails building Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) that offer self-service tools, automated environments, and unified deployment processes. It allows developers to concentrate on writing code while the platform manages the infrastructural challenges.

Key Platform Engineering Practices
• Internal Developer Platforms: Self-service Deployment Portals
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Infrastructure configurations in a repeatable manner
• CI/CD Pipeline Standardization: Pre-packaged pipeline processes to speed up release cycles
• Security-by-Design: Compliance and security checks built into the development process
• Observability: Built-in monitoring and logging tools

Benefits of Platform Engineering
• Faster development cycles
• Better developer experience
• Less operational complexity
• Enhanced security and governance
• Uniform development environment

Challenges to Consider
• Platform setup first effort
• Skills gap for platform teams
• Change management issues
• Platform maintenance is on an ongoing basis

Conclusion
Platform engineering is proving to be crucial evolutions of DevOps. This includes creating a shared platform that standardizes infrastructure and improves developer workflows, making it distinct from regular DevOps practice in a competitive digital landscape (ibid).